Our first taste of Argentina was Mendoza…and wine. This region is famous for it, producing 70% of all Argentina’s wine from more than 1000 vineyards. I planned to sample as much as I could!
Before we sent off on any wine tours we had a little activity to take care of…..paragliding. Not for me (I was scared just going up the mountain in huge car!) but for mum. She’d done most everything else so now it was time to jump off a mountain strapped to a man with a parachute.
(Getting strapped in)
(Setting up the shute)
(Waiting for the wind)
(And they’re off!)
(As for me, this is as close as I get to the edge of a mountain)
Mendoza is a beautiful city. They basically rebuilt it after an earthquake in 1861, and they did so with beautiful wide streets that ALL have huge trees lining the sides. Given Mendoza is almost the desert, it is pretty amazing. The streets have canals down each side from Inca times that are designed to funnel the water through town and keep the trees alive. It also helps to maintain their beautiful parks.
The thing that we had to contend with in Mendoza is siesta. They don’t do their siestas by halves either…it’s a proper ‘let’s close up everything for four hours and go do something else’ siesta. Between 12.30pm and 4.30pm dust balls gather and roll down the street. Even the cafés close! Between 12.30pm and 4.30pm you need to make your own fun. Of course everything opens back up around 5pm and your day resumes. Then, around 10pm you eat. A few times we ate ‘early’ around 8pm and were given blank stares by waiters who were only just setting up.
(Playing the tourist during siesta)
(Starving at 9pm and waiting for the restaurants to open for dinner!)
(When in Rome…)
After mum had her adrenalin fill and we had explored the city it was time for wine. We booked a bike wine tour through the Maipu Valley just south of the city itself. While the tour itself was disappointing, then wine was great and nobody drunkenly fell of their bike!
(The expert cyclist leads the way)
(A little wine anyone?)
(These barrels get cleaned every 5 years & they crawl through this door to get in. This is not a joke!)
(Obligatory selfie)
After our disappointing experience on the bike we decided to indulge in a more ‘la di da’ wine tour. It was EXCEPTIONAL! The incredible scenery with the Andes in the background made it even more special.
(Snow capped Andes in the background – must be incredible during winter)
We visited 4 wineries and did private tastings in the gorgeous tasting rooms. Often wines were paired with cheeses and nuts. At our 5 course degustation lunch all courses were paired with the matching wine. We couldn’t have asked for an better day.
(Innovative use of old barrels)
(Our first tasting)
(Tasting number two)
(Pairing with cheeses)
(Dessert platter)
(Relax with a bottle for the afternoon if you like)
